BACK TO SCHOOL?
Shoppers, retailers pivot amid COVID-19 ongoing concerns, much uncertainty
Usually in August you can’t step into a store or turn on TV without seeing an ad for back-to-school shopping. But uncertainty surrounding when, how and where students will study this fall because of COVID-19 has forced retailers to adapt.
Back-to-school shopping traditionally runs from mid-June through August, according to Marshal Cohen, chief retail analyst for The NPD Group, a market research company. That’s not the case this year.
“There hasn’t been a back-to-school season yet,” he said. “Until schools announce what they’re going to do, shoppers are in limbo.”
Mr. Cohen predicts a spike in shopping (and commercials) once schools release their plans for fall.
“It’s going to be extremely compressed and extremely competitive,” he said. “Retailers will shift from being incredibly quiet to marketing back-toschool aggressively. It’s going to be a mad dash for everyone to steal some market share.”
Shoppers, too? Despite the shorter season, families are still expected to spend. The average family plans to shell out nearly $1,060 on school clothes and supplies in 2020, up from $977 per household last year, the National Retail Federation reports in its annual survey with Prosper Insights & Analytics. Electronics — particularly laptops, speakers, headphones and other digital accessories — are at the top of most shopping lists because of the uptick in at-home learning.
When it comes to clothing, many families are skipping seasonal fashion trends and sticking to staples such as shoes, socks, underwear and jeans. Blame that on the coronavirus, too.
“It migrated the consumer into a whole mindset of buying for the here and now,” Mr. Cohen said. “We’re eyeing what we need not for the season, not for the month, but for the week or, in some cases, for the next few days. Parents are starting to spend on school essentials as far as apparel because their kids are outgrowing their wardrobes.”
Some big-box stores aren’t waiting until schools firm up their plans to start promoting clothes and supplies. They have made their messaging more versatile. On Macy’s website, for instance, photos of children top its home page with the tagline “No matter how we school, let’s be ready.”
In a prepared statement, Macy’s said: “We’re helping parents and students embrace new possibilities with an assortment of affordable, curated fashion and accessories – plus flexible shopping and shipping options, including contactless, curbside pickup and buy online, pick up in store.”
Target and Kohl’s have similar slogans: “Whatever you need for wherever you college” and “Heading back, or logging on, the new year starts here,” respectively.
Malls also are reimagining how they can help shoppers during this unusual back-to-school season. The Mall at Robinson is offering curbside pickup locations and has stepped up cleaning and sanitizing, general manager Beth Edwards said in an email.
“Various enhanced safety measures have been implemented including a provision of hand sanitizers, frequent sanitation of hightouch surfaces and a requirement of retailers to enforce restrictions from overcrowding within the stores,” she said.
A representative from Simon Property Group, which owns Ross Park Mall, South Hills Village and Grove City Premium Outlets, was not available for comment.
Independent boutiques are pivoting as well. At The Frog N
Princess, a children’s store in McMurray, customers are buying more comfy, casual clothing and shopping less for fall, said owner Renée Lingle.
“Fall deliveries have been pushed back by manufacturers, and some have even canceled their production for fall due to COVID-19,” she said. “I feel like if the kids go back to school and things become a bit more normal, we’ll see a big surge in kids retail right away.”
The back-to-school shopping delay may cause a domino effect for the rest of the retail industry this year and into 2021. Mr. Cohen predicts
COVID-19 will affect Halloween and holiday spending in stores and online. He noted that Amazon’s Prime Day has shifted from July to October.
“It’s going to be a distraction like you’ve never seen before,” he said.